Emboldened by the success of the British period drama “Downton Abbey,” one of the most critically acclaimed shows on television, PBS now faces the challenge of translating the buzz and enthusiasm for the show into donations to local stations and public financing. A stodgy pledge drive or traditional pleas for contributions would probably fall flat with viewers. So, PBS decided to fit “Downton Abbey,” which begins its second season on Sunday, into a broader effort to spruce up its prime-time lineup.

The goal is to attract new viewers to PBS and make audiences think of public television more like the top-tier programming of HBO, Showtime and other channels they are willing to pay for. “Think of PBS and the local stations as premium television on the honors system,” said John Wilson, senior vice president and chief television programming executive at PBS.

Around the time the first season of “Downton Abbey” had its premiere on the “Masterpiece” anthology series last January, PBS began taking a more strategic approach to programming. It has branded nights with clusters of shows about one subject — for example, the arts, science or the literary imports from “Masterpiece.” The anthology introduced younger and more male-skewing shows like “Sherlock,” a mystery series set in modern-day London that had its premiere in 2010, and a continuation of the popular British series “Upstairs, Downstairs.”

This fall, PBS embarked on a marketing blitz to promote Ken Burns’s “Prohibition” documentary miniseries, including a joint round-table discussion with Mr. Burns and the creators of HBO’s drama “Boardwalk Empire,” which takes place during the Prohibition era.

An aggressive promotional campaign helped “Downton Abbey” win six Emmy Awards, including best mini-series or movie, away from competitors on HBO and Starz.

“The thinking was that they had to up their game,” said Kliff Kuehl, president and chief executive of KCPT, a public television station in Kansas City, Mo. “That’s what we’ve evolved to — trying to give people that pay-TV moment.”

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“Downton Abbey” centers on the Crawley family and, shown here, the family's servants in the period just before World War I.Credit
ITV for MASTERPIECE

“Downton Abbey,” which follows an aristocratic English family and its nosy staff at a sprawling estate on the cusp of World War I, was first shown on ITV in Britain. It slowly built an audience in the United States after critics called it a “delightful romp.” Viewers who didn’t typically watch PBS tuned in.

The first season, consisting of four 90-minute episodes, had a nightly average of 4.9 million viewers, in contrast to 1.9 million viewers on an average night on PBS stations, according to Nielsen. The number of women ages 25 to 54 who watch “Masterpiece,” which typically has an average age of 64, was up 56 percent during “Downton Abbey.” More than one million viewers, mostly from the ages of 18 to 49, streamed “Downton Abbey” on PBS.org or via Netflix.

“It was the closest thing to water-cooler television as public television gets,” said Rebecca Eaton, executive producer of Masterpiece, produced by WGBH Boston.

A water-cooler show couldn’t come at a more critical time. The Budget Control Act, which ended the debt ceiling crisis in August, strips public television and others of a portion of federal financing starting as early as 2013.

In 2010, PBS had $571 million in total revenue, down from $624 million in 2007. (A PBS spokeswoman said annual revenue varies based on programming investments.) Federal financing for public television in 2010, through grants and appropriations to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, was $97.8 million, or 17 percent of PBS’s total revenue. That’s down from $121 million, or 19 percent, in 2007, according to audited consolidated financial statements.

States, meanwhile, under severe budget pressure, have cut financing for local public broadcasting stations. In Florida, Gov. Richard Scott, a Republican, vetoed $4.8 million in funds for stations. In April, Daystar Television, a Christian media group, announced its plans to buy WMFE-TV, a public station in Orlando. Since then, another local Orlando station, WUCF, has picked up PBS content. In January, KCET-TV in Los Angeles, citing financial problems, ended its 40-year relationship with PBS.

“People say ‘your business model is broken’ and we should walk away from federal appropriations,” said Paula A. Kerger, president and chief executive at PBS. “It’s an unusual system but frankly, PBS was envisioned as a public/private partnership. I don’t think we can trade out that blend that makes public television different.”

PBS is hoping that prime-time hits like “Downton” and “Sherlock,” which appeal largely to better-off viewers, will attract donations to local PBS stations that will be used to pay dues. In turn, that helps finance other programs like “Sesame Street” and “Sid the Science Kid.” PBS Kids is the most-watched bloc by children aged 2 to 5 and was originally created for underprivileged young viewers who lacked access to early-childhood education. (Viewers can also donate directly to the “Masterpiece” programming bloc through the Masterpiece Trust.)

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The “Masterpiece” anthology includes a new version of “Upstairs, Downstairs,” a 1970s series.Credit
BBC/MASTERPIECE

“That wasn’t just chance, but an effort to reach a wider audience and really think about how we can make the case to them to continue their support,” Ms. Kerger said.

But first PBS must connect to that wider audience. Though the broadcaster has a limited marketing budget, it has introduced an ambitious campaign ahead of the season premiere of “Downton Abbey” that includes placing ads on CNN, BBC America and Lifetime and in publications like People and TV Guide.

A social media campaign includes “Downton” actors sending Twitter messages about the show and sponsored, promotional Twitter messages. Viewers can unlock “Downton Abbey” stickers on GetGlue. On Dec. 26 fans got a 10-minute preview of “Downton Abbey” on the “Masterpiece” and PBS Facebook pages.

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“Social media drove the success of ‘Downton’ the first time around,” said Lesli Rotenberg, senior vice president of marketing and communications for PBS. “This time we’re using social media to help further drive buzz.”

Viking River Cruises has signed on as “Masterpiece’s” corporate sponsor, filling a five-year void that began when Exxon Mobil withdrew its support in 2004. Viking will send mailers to customers pegged to the “Downton Abbey” Season 2 premiere. A corporate message will come on right after the show’s host, Laura Linney, introduces the program. “Our demographic is affluent baby boomers, 55-plus,” said Richard Marnell, Viking’s senior vice president of marketing. “We’d been looking for a broadcast partner that reaches that group.”

Originally envisioned as a mini-series, “Downton Abbey” had such success that the writer, Julian Fellowes, agreed to do additional seasons. The second season begins in 1916 and will run for seven episodes. Its September premiere in Britain averaged more than nine million viewers or roughly a 35 percent share.

In October, PBS introduced a redesigned iPad app modeled loosely after HBO Go. Combined, the mobile apps and online video player offer free access to 2,700 hours of local and national video. Ms. Kerger said PBS was exploring ways to link app downloads to easy-to-access online donations. “I want to be very careful that we don’t become commercially driven in the online space,” she said.

PBS doesn’t expect “Downton” to immediately lead to an influx of cash, and still plans to push shows like “Nova” and “Antiques Roadshow” in prime time.

“No one sat around and said ‘How can we sex it up?’ ” said Mr. Wilson, PBS’s chief programmer. Still, he said: “There’s nothing better for our future than to have a large audience. That engagement stimulates financial support.”

A version of this article appears in print on January 2, 2012, on Page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: PBS Takes On the Premium Channels. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe